


Wished at Midnight

by KestraEchoWolf



Series: Wished at Midnight Series [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug, Shadow Falls - C. C. Hunter
Genre: Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Adrien Has a Crush on Marinette, Akumas are definitely a thing, Alternate Universe - Shadow Falls, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Cajun!Adrien/Chat Noir, Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, FRU is involved (as they always are...), Fae & Fairies, Half-Chameleon!Marinette, Half-Shape shifter!Adrien, Half-Witch!Adrien, Half-Witch!Marinette, Hybrids, I don't own the songs, I just own the plot, Inspired by Music, Legend of Everfree (song), Not Canon Compliant, Or their original characters, Orignal Miraculous, Peacock powers have a drawback, SO MANY TAGS!!!, Set in New Orleans, Shapeshifters - Freeform, Tag re-edits pending, Vampires, Warlocks, Werewolves, Wished at Midnight, Witches, chameleons, don't they all? - Freeform, in any universes, in the Bayou, magick, more tags to come, or the Miraculous Ladybug/Shadow Falls Universes, supernatural schools
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2018-09-23 20:10:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9674228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KestraEchoWolf/pseuds/KestraEchoWolf
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng strives every day to make her grandmother proud of all her accomplishments in hopes that she will grant the young half- witch's greatest wish: to leave Paris and visit her best friend Alya in New Orleans. An accident at her elite school has her wish on the desperate edge of not being granted...While her spirit guides try to comfort her and give her hope, can a wish at midnight allow her to escape from her gilded cage to freedom?Marinette should've heeded her grandmother's warning: wishes can alter your fate in ways that you could never dream of happening.So how is Marinette's fate tied to a smooth talking Cajun black cat?! Fate can be so confusing sometimes!





	1. Legend of Everfree

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to Dorkus for encouraging me to write this despite having the mountain of writing projects to work on!!! *THUMBS UP!*

“I hate it.”

Marinette’s lips parted in shock, her sky blue eyes going wide.  _“P-pardon?”_ she asked quietly, hoping she had heard wrong.

Madeline turned around, her amber eyes brightening in obvious annoyance. A quick glance at her pattern would tell any supernatural that she was a vampire, and her last name, Delacorte, was from a very powerful family line. The vampire regarded the half-witch in front of her with distaste as she tugged at the garment’s soft silk skirt as if it was the cause of her discomfort. “I said I hate it,” she repeated with a hiss. A sneer twisted her delicate features sourly as if daring the young designer heiress to contradict her. “I asked for a Zyah Cheng Original, not some hack knock off! Did she even _attempt_  to follow the theme I described in my letter?”

As the granddaughter of Zyah Cheng, Marinette had always aspired to follow her in her footsteps; and not just as a designer, but in succeeding as high priestess of the Cheng coven. She was use to high expectations. They were challenging, and she loved the rare smile she would get when Zyah would approve of one of her designs or when she mastered a difficult spell or potion. With such a life, she was also use to particular customers and requests. Honestly, she was expecting adjustments to the design... but an outright refusal was a first.

“It is tacky,” Dalia, one of Madeline’s groupies, added.

“It’s a terrible color for the spring formal,” Terra added.

“What’s with the blue rose here on the hip? It will clash with her shoes!”

“And that pattern on the skirt?”

“You should burn it.”

“Dalia’s totally right, you _should_  burn it! It would be for the betterment of society.”

“Maybe Madame Cheng is losing her edge?”

 _“Elle n'est pas!”_  flew out of Marinette’s mouth before she could stop herself. The three vampires turned on her with harsh gazes. Marinette fought not to break their staring contest as her grandmother's words flowed in and out of her head.

_"Keep eye contact. Do not show weakness. Be the dragon of the Cheng Coven. You are a princess among peasants. Chin up, back straight--"_

"What did you say?" Madeline inquired coolly, pale blond brows knitting over her slowly brightening amber eyes.

" _Grand-mère_ is not losing her edge." For a moment, even Marinette was surprised with herself. Her voice was so calm and collected just now; She almost sounded like her grandmother!  _She would be so pleased,_ she thought with a flash of pride.

The three vampires all shared looks with each other before Madeline cocked a hip and looked Marinette up and down. "Is that so? How would you know?"

 _You mean other than the fact I'm Zyah Cheng's granddaughter?_ Marinette thought with a mental eye roll. Still, her cheeks pinkened as her mind flashed back to when she first presented the request to her grandmother. Zyah had looked over the requirements and hummed in the back of her throat, the way she did when she was giving something real thought, before handing back the list to Marinette.  _"You shall make it. I'm too busy preparing for the Spring Equinox and the upcoming fashion show in Milan to indulge one of your friends."_

Marinette folded her hands in front of her as elegantly as she could to hide the shaking.

"She's lying," Terra hissed, snapping her bubble gum in distaste. Madeline's hand flew up and immediately silenced the brunette vampire.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng cannot lie if she's truly a priestess of the peacock," she told her groupies. Marinette's cheeks turned a deeper red as the blond leaned closer to her and then slowly smirked. "Tell me why you think Zyah Cheng isn't losing her edge and tell the absolute  _truth; give your word as Priestess of the Peacock!"_

The order rang and echoed within Marinette's mind like the toll of a bell. Her blue eyes began to glow, and she felt the peacock pin under her jacket start to warm at the bidding. Looking past the three vampires, she could see Dusuu, the peacock spirit of truth, appear int he mirror. His blue eyes met her own as his fan opened up behind him. His gaze was warm and comforting, and together their eyes both flashed in a bright rainbow of blue shades. Marinette breathed a shaky breath, feeling the vision briefly overtake her and then set her back in her body again.

Three shocked faces greeted her upon her return and Marinette immediately knew that whatever she had said, it was clearly not what any of them expected. That was the drawback to those chosen to receive Dusuu's rare gift of prophecy. She  _never_ knew what she said until  _after_ the fact. Then her words came back to her, as clear as day. 

_"All will be in awe of the belle of the ball._

_Coccinelle's dress shall rule over all."_

Marinette's cheeks flushed red instantly as she pushed her raven hair back behind her lucky ladybug earrings. Coccinelle was a name she had played with in secret over the last five years or so. Was her dress actually so fantastic that it would make Madeline outshine  _everyone_ at the Spring Formal? The thought made her slightly giddy as her eyes flashed back to the mirror in hopes of gaining some confirmation from her spirit guide, but Dusuu was already gone.

"Did she say Coccinelle? As in,  _the_   _ghost designer?!_ " Dalia gasped, hands flapping over her mouth. "A Coccinelle dress is going to be at  _our_ Spring Formal?!"

"Coccinelle's designs have never failed to be in fashion," Terra agreed, turning to look at Madeline. "Do you think she designed your dress?"

"If it's a Coccinelle original, then this changes everything! It's probably so fashion forward that no one is wearing it yet," Dalia added, dancing in place.

"Wait!" Madeline silenced the pair, and her amber eyes landed on Marinette again. Her face had lost the grimace to a more calculating stare. "You still haven't told me  _why_ you think your grandmother hasn't lost her edge."

Instantly, the magick within the peacock pin surged into Marinette's heart. Compulsion took over, and her lips parted, and the truth spilled out. "I made the dress, so  _grand-mère_ hasn't lost her edge at all."

It only took a second before all three burst out into laughter. The sound made Marinette's pride shatter as she watched Madeline pull her garment off with supernatural strength. "Of course! I should've seen it sooner," Madeline gasped, wiping her eyes to catch mirthful tears. "You thought you could match your grandmother's edge, so  _you_ made the dress instead. How pathetic!"

"I just  _knew_ it was a hack job," Dalia agreed. "I just never knew how bad until this moment."

Marinette gasped when she heard the stitches tear as Madeline struggled. She flew forward, "Wait! Stop, you'll tear it--"

"And that would only improve it," Madeline hissed, slashing at Marinette with sharp nails. The half-witch dodged the swipe as she hurried to undo the tie at the back of the girl's neck. "How dare you think you could pass off your  _grand-mère's_ work as your own. How desperate are you?"

"Have her burn it," Dalia pushed, and Terra rapidly agreed.

"Please," Marinette begged, tears beginning to sting her eyes. "Just hold still and I can--"

"Get off of me," Madeline ordered and shoved the half-witch aside. "Terra, Dalia, get this _m_ _orceau de poubelle_ off of me."

Marinette's eyes widened, and she felt her magick surge to life within her.  _"Arrêtez! Stop!"_ she snapped, at last, losing all her composure as the two vampires began tugging at the dress. "If you just tell me what to change-- I can fix it! Do you not like the neckline?" Magick surged from Marinette's fingers in a mix of her personal pink and fretful red. The garment moved as if alive, making Madeline shriek in shock as it folded into a modest v-neck. "I can take off the rose, or I can change it to a lily,  _voir?"_ Dalia and Terra scrambled back as the embellishments on the dress began to morph to Marinette's fear. "Too long? Too short?" Her languages began to mix as it often did when Marinette was frantic. French and Chinese melded together into a language that sounded odd to the outside ear.

 _"Arrêtez!"_ Madeline's stinging slap shocked Marinette back to the present, and her magick exploded in one final burst. The three vampires shrieked in fear as she hit the wall. Marinette's vision blacked out for only a moment and pain burst through her back. Something sounded like shattering glass and pain flared through her entire back. She felt sick to her stomach, as she often did when she lost control of her powers... but one thought kept echoing in her ears.

_Grand-mère is going to be angry._

* * *

It was nearly midnight and Marinette could barely sleep. She had been escorted to her quarters in the mansion where hedge witches tended to the lacerations on her back and neck. She had been told that there was a magickal explosion that made the mirror shatter when she hit the glass. The shards were enchanted by accident, and her wounds would scar. This, unfortunately, wasn't the first time such accidents happened. She had expected her grandmother to be angry when she saw the injuries. Marinette could take Zyah's anger and would do so with her head held high. But instead, Zyah only regarded her with stony disappointment.  _"Je m'attendais mieux à vous."_

_I expected better from you._

Those words alone cut deeper than any of the mirror shards. Marinette could see Madeline's would-be dress hanging on the mannequin in the corner of her bedroom. The beautiful blue garment she had been so proud of was now morphed and unrecognizable. She had worked so hard to ensure that it would bring out Madeline's eyes. Now it was splotched in different arrays of colors. The hemlines were terrible, and the flowers were all gone. There were slashes of color as if some beast had tried to tear at it with painted claws.

All her hard work. Gone.

If one looked inside the collar, they would see the small ladybug pattern stitching inside. If turned correctly, anyone would see the name  _Coccinelle_ written there in careful, delicate craftwork. Marinette wished idly that the stitching would disappear. She wasn't proud of the dress anymore. It was intense and gaudy to look at. No one would wear it.

 _"Marinette?"_ the voice was soft and tiny, but Marinette was used to hearing it. She easily found the speaker floating above her flower boxes on her balcony. With a wave of her hand, the French doors opened, and a breeze gently flowed inside.

"Come in, Tikki. You know you're always welcome in here." The ladybug spirit guide glowed with happiness as she flew inside. The wards above Marinette's door glowed briefly before going quiet again, recognizing the invitation. The spirit began to shape change, transforming from the tiny ladybug to that of a fairy. She flew gracefully over and touched the girl's cheek, frowning.

_"You were crying today-- and you're injured."_

"I'm okay," Marinette raised a finger and stroked her spirit guide's fiery red and black streaked hair gently. "It's... been a hard day."

 _"I didn't intend for things to go so awry,"_ another voice spoke up, equally gentle. Dusuu appeared in the mirror across from her bed and stepped through. His cape fluttered in the breeze as he flew in fairy form, casting shimmers of emerald and sapphire colors throughout the room. The spirit of the peacock settled on her other shoulder.  _"I thought that by showing your dress as a success, it would make those three back off. But prophecy has always been tricky."_

Tikki perked at the word 'dress' and looked over at the mannequin. She frowned,  _"That's it?"_ At Marinette's nod, the spirit's wings fluttered nervously behind her as she flew to inspect the half-witch's creation.  _"It's erm... colorful?"_

Marinette offered a watery smile, "That's not how it started out, I promise. But thank you for being kind."

 _"It was much more regal than that,"_ Dusuu added.  _"You would've been proud, Ti. A dress fit for royalty!"_

_"Then what happened?"_

Marinette went on to explain to her spirit guide, just as she did when her grandmother. When she reached the end, Tikki cooed softly and flew over and began drying Marinette's cheeks. The half-witch noted idly how different the spirit's and her grandmother's reactions were. She felt so much warmth from Dusuu and Tikki's tiny affections than she did from her own blood relative... warmth that reminded her so much of her parents. Her mortification set in again and she burried her face in her hands. For once, she was glad her parents were gone.

 _"What's this?"_ Dusuu asked, flying over to a few pieces of paper on Marinette's vanity.

The half-witch looked up, "Oh, they're papers for the foreign exchange program the university is doing. I was going to ask  _grand-mère_ about going, but now I think the school will deny my application after today's incident."

 _"Papers for a journey? That's exciting! You've always wanted to travel,"_ Tikki flitted over.  _"What did Zyah say?"_

"I haven't asked her yet. I was going to surprise her with the opportunity when I received the approval letter... but I haven't gotten one yet."

 _"Do you think it wise to surprise her like that?"_ Dusuu asked, his blue eyes narrowing in worry. He pulled his cape around and stroked the feathered pattern, as if he were stroking his own tail in peacock form.

 _"Zyah has never let Marinette travel before,"_ Tikki told the peacock spirit.  _"Sometimes it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission."_

 _"Zyah has good reasons,"_ Dusuu shot back, but Marinette flinched from his sharpness.  _"The world is dangerous and Marinette is powerful. She needs to remain protected so that other factions can't harm her."_

Tikki went quiet and turned her amethyst gaze on her charge. Marinette picked up the opportunity letter and then tossed it back on the vanity with defeat. Suddenly, her phone chimed in her pocket. Marinette furrowed her brow and glanced at the clock. Very few people had her phone number, and no one would be messaging her this late at night... no one except--

Marinette's cell phone was out in a flash and a smile tugged at her lips when she recognized Alya Cesaire's profile picture. She put in her passcode, opened the video app and hit play.

 _"Bonjour Mari!_ _I hope you're having a stellar day. I have news that I couldn't wait to share. Guess who's school got on the ISSEP?! Everfree College! Look!"_ The camera blurred and she heard Alya curse and mutter in English as the camera took a moment to refocus on a poster. Sure enough, there was Paris, France listed on the paper. Marinette's lips parted in shock. The camera swung around again and Alya grinned her werewolf's smile at her, all fangs bared.  _"So we can finally see each other again when you get your letter! Message me when you get it so we can make arrangements here at the camp. A plus tard fille!"_ The video ended and Marinette fell back onto her bed, feeling sick to her stomach, feeling that fate had cheated her twice.

Tears began to gather in her eyes as another video message followed, this one dated for the previous day. Without stopping, Marinette hit play. The video showed Maui, one of the camp directors, and his wife, Lotte, playing instruments at the edge of a campfire. Alya made videos to her like this as often as she could and Marinette treasured every single one. Since she was restricted to all places where her grandmother could keep watch over her, Marinette often used these videos as windows into her best friend's world... a world where she could meet with other  _regular_ supernaturals instead of the elite her grandmother forced her to meet. She could see shapeshifters and werewolves all dancing around the fire, having a great time and singing in mixed English and French.

Maui, the Hawaiian witch, gazed lovingly at his wife as she strummed on a guitar. When the impromptu song ended, the students cheered and clapped all around and Alya panned the camera around so she could see. Her eyes trailed the frame as a familiar blond came into view. Adrien grinned and flashed a peace sign at her and Marinette found herself giggling softly at the gesture. Lila, one of Alya's best friends, was next and she waved to the camera.  _"Hi Marinette!"_ she called in English. Marinette waved back absently.

 _"Alright, who wants to go next?"_ Maui asked, looking up. His thick Hawaiian accent sounded musical to her ears.

 _"Can we sing Everfree?"_ someone asked. The request was made outside of the camera shot. 

 _"A camp favorite,"_ Lotte cheered as she began to strum.  _"We haven't sung that one in a long time."_

 _"And I'm sure the bayou would enjoy hearing it again,"_ Maui agreed, reaching behind him and picking up a guitar.  The camera panned around and Alya's face came into the frame. She winked and then turned the camera again.

Together, Lotte and Maui counted off in perfect sync before strumming up the music.

 

    

    _Will you be lost by time or be part of history?_
    _Will your story be told or remain a mystery?_
    _Will they sing your song, telling all that you have done?_
    _Time to make your choice, only you can be the one_

    

     _Oh, oh,_ oh-oh _-whoa_
    _As you join in the Legend of Everfree! (Hey!)_
     _Oh, oh,_ oh-oh _-whoa_
    _As you join in the Legend of Everfree! (Hey! Hey! Hey!)_

People began to clap as Lotte and Maui got to their feet and dance together as they played. 

    

    _Will you do something great with the time that you have here?_
    _Will you make your mark? Will you conquer what you fear?_

Adrien appeared back in the frame, dancing with a tanned skin boy with glasses. Together they jumped the massive fire and Marinette only guessed they succeeded because of their powers. Still, the sight was wonderful and she set the phone down to applaud quietly.

    

    _And when you go back home, everybody there will see_
     _You_ were _part of the Legend of Everfree!_

    

     _Oh, oh,_ oh-oh _-whoa_
    _As you join in the Legend of Everfree! (Hey!)_
     _Oh, oh,_ oh-oh _-whoa_
    _As you join in the Legend of Everfree! (Hey!)_

Pairs began to appear in the dance circle and Marinette swayed in time to the music. She watched as lights began to appear all throughout the image and heard Alya gasp in wonder. Marinette had seen them in other videos the werewolf ha sent her before, but this was the first time Alya reacted on audio. She thought that the lights were some cool effect that Alya had figured out... maybe she was wrong?

    

    _Will you find your greatest glory?_
    _Will you be a falling star?_
    _Here to learn what nature teaches_
    _Here to learn more who you are_

    

    _Will you be lost by time or be part of history?_
    _Will your story be told or remain a mystery?_
    _And when you go back home, everybody there will see_
     _You_ were _part of the Legend of Everfree!_

    

     _Oh, oh,_ oh-oh _-whoa_
    _As you join in the Legend of Everfree! (Hey!)_
     _Oh, oh,_ oh-oh _-whoa_
    _As you join in the Legend of Everfree!_
    _Hey!_

_"HEY!"_ Everyone cheered and began clapping. Alya's video ended and Marinette made a noise of disappointment. She could easily imagine herself dancing to that very song at the campfire. She blushed, wondering briefly if Adrien would've danced with her. She closed her eyes and indulged herself a little dream. She hummed the song in a mix of English and French as she got to her feet and danced. There was no way that she could fly over the fire like he did, but she imagined herself dancing with the flames, drawing it up and around her like she did in practice. Would he be impressed? Maybe...

 _"That's a wonderful song,"_ Dusuu suddenly spoke up, breaking her dream.

"I've been wanting to go see Alya for years. She says Everfree College is one of the best Supernatural schools out there."

 _"Don't give up hope,"_ Tikki flew over and picked up the opportunity letter.  _"Anything can happen when you set your mind to it, Marinette. Is it truly your wish to go to Everfree and see Alya?"_

"More than anything," Marinette answered without hesitation. "But it would take a miracle to get there now."

High in the sky overhead, a star winked brilliantly before shooting across the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... it's a thing. A Shadow Falls/Miraculous Ladybug crossover.  
> Yeah... it's another project.  
> Yeah... it's adding to the list.  
> No I do not regret it.
> 
> I'm working on getting it cross posted to [my Tumblr](http://kestraechowolf.tumblr.com/)
> 
> If you haven't seen it in the tags already, I don't own Shadow Falls, Miraculous Ladybug or any of the songs that will be mentioned here. The link to [Legend of Everfree is Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8VakTXAPG0) and YES I KNOW IT'S FROM EQUESTRIA GIRLS! Bite me, I love the song!
> 
> Comments?


	2. The Letter of Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mari's coveted letter appears and her journey truly begins...

It had been two weeks and Marinette still hadn't returned to school; per grandmother's direction. She was to remain within the mansion walls to 'heal.' Which was ludicrous to anyone who knew Marinette. Being half-chameleon, she had a super-supernatural ability to heal much faster than what was deemed 'normal' in Supernatural terms. The wounds had taken an extra day to recover fully, but in truth, the raven-haired half-witch felt like she could've returned to school at least the day after. But no, one of the maids had informed her that she was to, 'remain in the house until Madame Cheng returned from Hong Kong.'

 _In other words, grand-mère basically left the country to get away from me,_ she thought as she gazed out the window. Unfortunately, Zyah had lacked the forethought to tell the mansion staff  _when_ she would return from her trip.  _And that could be weeks from now._

However, there was a silver lining to her grandmother's absence. It was rare that Marinette was left alone, but when she was, she was able to do things  _her_ way. She dressed as she liked, though she always chose to remain fashionable, ate what she liked, which the cooks loved to indulge her, and she was able to do whatever she wanted to do... so long as she remained inside the mansion.

Despite her newfound 'freedoms,' Marinette was left to her own devices inside her room. She turned on Youtube to listen to music as she worked on her designs, hoping that some long lost artist on the internet would provide some inspiration. She had just found a new rock band that had caught her interest, when the video chat on her computer began to ring. Concentration broken, she dropped the pencil down on her sketch pad. It took a second before Alya's picture and chat phone number appeared with a wiggling phone icon. Marinette scrambled to answer, missing the answer button twice before succeeding on clicking it.

_"Bonjour? Salut!"_

_"Bonjour Mari!"_ Alya's voice came through a few seconds later.  _"Just a sec!"_ She heard Alya press a few buttons on the keyboard before the webcam came on. Marinette grinned and waved to her best friend.

_"Alya!"_

_"Allô Marinette,"_ Alya answered in French. Switching to English, she asked,  _"How have you been girl?"_ The half-chameleon shrugged, and Alya immediately took note of Marinette's lack of formal clothing. She blinked, _"Gram's out of the house?"_

 _"In Hong Kong,"_ Marinette reported, slouching in her seat.  _"She says I need to stay here until she returns."_

 _"She's not letting you go to school today?"_ Alya jerked back in surprise.  _"That's not very Zyah like."_

 _"What's not Zyah like? Are you talking to Mari?"_ A new voice came through the computer and Marinette offered a smile as Lila appeared on the screen. She waved to the red head werewolf.

_"Allô Lila."_

_"Bonjour Marinette,"_ the Italian returned, waving with a sleepy smile. The raven-haired girl could see a steaming cup of coffee in her hand and realized it must be early in New Orleans. Glancing at the clock, she quickly calculated the time difference and frowned.

 _"Tough night at Miraculous?"_ she asked.

 _"We had a wicked crowd,"_ Alya told her with a grin.  _"Hold on, I'll send you the videos."_

_"It was incredible. I never expected so many Supernaturals to turn up to help clean up."_

Alya froze and Marinette blinked at the brunette in question.  _"Clean up? What do you mean?"_

Lila frowned,  _"The clean up at Miraculous... you know, from the akuma fight that broke out last week?"_ Lila paused and took in Marinette's shocked expression and whirled on Alya,  _"You haven't told her?"_

 _"I--I didn't..."_ Alya stuttered and Marinette's jaw dropped open. Alya  _never_ stuttered.  _"I didn't know how,"_ the werewolf finally finished, shoulders slumping. 

 _"Miraculous was attacked?"_ Marinette squeaked, swiftly opening up an incognito window to do a swift internet search. It took several tries to get into the websites with good information about the Supernatural world and she found it.

**Another Miracle at Miraculous**

**Akumas Have Crossed the Wrong Black Cat**

The blog article showed dozens of pictures of Alya's favorite bar and Supernatural save haven. Miraculous was one of the oldest buildings in New Orleans and ancient enchantments ensured its survival. Marinette covered her mouth as her computer worked to translate everything into French, but what she could read was as incredible as the pictures showed. Windows and tables were broken, spray painted gang symbols covered the inside and outside; there were bag bombs of garlic hanging all over the place and scorch marks from curses.

 _"The Fallen Research Unit from Texas will come to help the New Orleans Research Unit investigate. Burnette and Holiday James both brought their teams with them to help us sort out this mess,"_ Alya reported. Marinette choked at the news. Burnette James was one of the top investigators in the FRU. The government division was a branch off of the FBI, which worked directly with Supernatural crimes.

 _"And who is the Black Cat?"_  

Both Alya and Lila grinned, sharing a look with each other.  _"Rumor has it he's a vigilante of some sort,"_ Alya told her.  _"He just... came out of nowhere! Copy Cat and Evillustrator didn't know what hit them!"_

Those were two names that Marinette had heard before. Copy Cat, or Theo Barbot, was a rogue shapeshifter who could change into just about any appearance he wanted. What was worse, he was a master counterfeiter. He had managed to cause a ton of trouble by slipping fake bills into the money stream at Miraculous within the last few months. Evillustrator was a new name she hadn't heard very often yet, but his skills as a mage artist were enough to cause concern. He had the ability to conjure up just about  _anything_. He hadn't caused as much trouble in the world yet, but he was clearly up for spreading the word that the government was a broken system.

 _"I think those three have history,"_ Lila added.  _"From the way they were fighting, I believe that they do. I wish you were there Mari; they were speaking almost straight French. I could've used a translator."_ Alya elbowed Lila gently in the ribs as she continued to click and type away on the computer. Lila elbowed back and sipped from her coffee mug.

 _"Oh, I think it's more than just a theory if last night was anything to say about it,"_ Alya announced with a quirk in the corner of her mouth.  _"That cat has a serious vendetta against the Akumas. He's been moonlighting as a street performer, so it was a real shock to realize that the two identities were one and the same cat. I'm sending you the videos now, Mari. When word got out he was at Miraculous helping with the clean up, Supernaturals from all over the bayous started showing up!"_

Marinette's computer dinged with a received email and she quickly went in to retrieve it. Her breath caught when she saw the title card picture. He was  _easily_ one of the most handsome men she had ever seen in her life. His blond hair was wild and long, tied back at his shoulders in a ponytail. His had legit black cat ears peeking out on his his head and his neon green cat eyes glowed at the viewer. He appeared to be posing in this picture with another Supernatural.

The second man was wearing what appeared to be an Egyptian Eye of Horus and dark shades over his eyes. His skin was chocolate brown and he wore a ball cap backward. He also had headphones around his neck with a cat paw sticker on one of the ear pieces.  _"Who is the second person next to  le Chat?"_

_"Swag, an up and coming DJ and Alya think's he's hotter than the Sahara so you can't have him."_

_"Lila! I do not!"_

_"Oh please, you totally have the hots for Tall Dark and Hotness,"_ Lila rolled her eyes and all three girls burst into giggles. The tension effectively cut, the Italian turned back to the screen,  _"_ _Your English has gotten really good Marinette. You could pass for Cajun if you ever come visit."_

Alya's eyes immediately brightened, _"Girl that reminds me!_ _Have you heard about your application for ISSEP yet?"_

 _"You applied for ISSEP?!"_ Lila perked instantly. She turned and faced her packmate, looking like she wanted to smack her.  _"When were you going to tell me that?! Seriously Alya, for a girl who runs a news blog you sure are tight lipped about certain critical details!"_

Alya began to defend herself when Marinette shook her head and quickly interjected. _"Don't blame her, Lil. I asked her not to say anything because... I think my application will be rejected."_

 _"What?!"_ Alya jumped from her seat and broke into a series of French curses. _"Why would you think that? Why would they reject your application?"_

Marinette twirled one of her pigtails nervously as both girls began to press her for a reason.She didn't really have a reason to lie, but the truth was still painful for her to face.  _"I had an incident at school two weeks ago."_ Once again, she told her story of the incident between her and Madeline. To further prove her guilt, she backed away from the camera to show the hazard of a dress that was sitting in what she currently dubbed, 'The Shame Corner.'

 _"Wait!"_ Lila interrupted, slamming down her coffee mug. _"You mean to tell me, those two hags ripped up your design and they got away with it?! I hope you put a curse on them! A hex at least!"_

 _"We're in agreement here,"_ Alya chimed in. _"Tell me those three got some sort of punishment for all this!"_

Marinette shrugged, _"I cannot say. I haven't been back to school to find out and I'm not friends with anyone there so I haven't heard any news."_ Both werewolves looked so deflated that Marinette wanted to kick herself for it. Pulling herself up, she quickly plastered on a smile, _"But I'm not giving up hope!"_

It took a moment before Alya's expression changed too. __"That's my girl."__ The trio lapsed into silence and Alya glanced at the time.  _"Check out those videos I sent you. I really think that you will like Chat's style. Lil and I have to get to our morning meet up with the wolfpack before classes start."_

Lila nodded in agreement,  _"We have faith in you Mari. Message us as soon as you get the letter so we can chat with you when you open it."_

Touched by her friend's genuine support, Marinette exchanged heartfelt farewells with both werewolves before closing the chat. Unwilling to let the cloud of doubt come and swallow her up anymore, she clicked into the first video that Alya had recorded of Chat Noir's performance.

She had watched each of the four videos three times each before hitting Youtube, her hand flying over her sketchpad as inspiration struck.

* * *

Another week passed by and Marinette's hope began to dwindle. The only thing keeping it going were Lila's and Alya's daily emails to check to see if the letter had come. She had subscribed to Chat Noir's youtube channel and checked it regularly to see if he or Swag had updated any new content. Her grandmother also announced that she was going to be remaining in Hong Kong for another week before returning to Paris.

Marinette ignored Zyah's distant attitude and threw herself into any form of inspiration that she could get her hands on. In fact, the maids had found her asleep at her design desk, sewing machine or mannequin almost every night since discovering the street performer. Each time they would gently wake and assist her in changing clothes and going to bed, only for her to get up and follow the same routine again the following day.

On the seventh day of that week, Marinette was gently awakened by one of the maids with her breakfast tray. However, there was an addition to it. Marinette's heart jumped into her throat as she recognized her school's seal on the front, top-left corner. "The letter came by express mail this morning," the maid explained when Marinette asked. "It's addressed to you and not to the Madame." Her lips quirked upwards in a smile, "I think this maybe what you're looking forward to." Marinette shot to her feet and took the letter as it was handed to her. Her fingers shook as she felt its weight. It was thick for a rejection letter, and the paper felt... special. Using her magick, she checked the envelope for any spells or enchantments but found none. "Mademoiselle? Aren't you going to open it?"

Marinette almost did but Lila's words rang in her ears.  _"Non pas encore. Veuillez m'excuser, je dois faire un appel téléphonique privé."_

The maid smiled a knowing grin,  _"Oui,_ is there anything else you require?"

Marinette shook her head, not trusting her voice not to crack as desperate hope and crippling fear gripped her with tight fists. Running to her computer, Marinette quickly logged into her video chat account and waited. And waited... and waited... the call continued to ring. She sent silent prayers to the gods that Alya and Lila hadn't left for classes yet. When the time counter reached a full two minutes, she was about to give up when the video feed suddenly flared to life and Alya appeared on screen, obviously exhausted.

 _"Someone better be dying,"_  she snapped in English, rubbing her eyes.

Marinette glanced at the clock on her screen, did the time math and cursed under her breath. It was one in the morning in New Orleans time.  _"Je suis vraiment désolé,_ _Alya, I didn't mean to wake you. I'll call you at a decent hour later--"_

 _"Marinette?"_ Alya was instantly more alert. Switching to French she quickly brushed off the raven-haired girl's apologies.  _"Why are you calling? Has something happened?"_

Marinette's cheeks pinkened and she held up the envelope for the werewolf to see. Alya reached for her glasses and put them on as she leaned in to get a better look. It only took a second before she gasped and shot out of the chair.  _"Lila! Lila get up! Get up- she got her letter! LILA ROSI! Get u--don't you dare snarl at me!"_

The noise garbled through the camera, but Marinette could tell that a scuffle had broken out if the thrown pillows were any indication. She stifled a giggle as Alya rushed back to the computer, hair severely mussed and her amber eyes were glowing. She had two red scratches on her cheek and Lila shuffled into view. The Italian peered blearily at the computer and offered a wave.  _"I'm so sorry to wake you two,"_ she apologized again.

 _"No, don't worry about us. We're just a bit hung over from the full moon last night,"_ Lila waved off Marinette's concern.  _"Go on, open it."_

 _"It looks really thick,"_ Alya noted, excitement creeping into her voice.

Marinette shot her a look before tearing the seal and pulling out the contents. Inside were three sheets of paper and a second envelope. Taking a breath to steady herself, she began to read aloud in English

_"To Mademoiselle Marinette Dupain-Cheng,_

_"This letter has been sent to inform you of your-y-your application approval for the International Supernatural Student Exchange Program--_

_"I got in!"_

The two werewolves gasped and began cheering on the other side of the computer feed. Alya jumped out of her chair and started dancing back and forth on camera. 

 _"We are pleased to announce that you have been approved for your first choice selection: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America! Oh, mon DIEU! Enclosed is a letter with your two program contacts, a list of rules and regulations for international travel as well as any necessary documentation for your trip, and finally your itinerary for your departure and return."_ Marinette gasped for breath before dropping the letter,  _"Je ai obtenu dans! Ils ont accepté ma demande! Je vais à la Nouvelle-Orléans!"_

All three girls cheered loudly and Alya disappeared briefly before returning with her cell phone.  _"We have to take a selfie to remember this moment."_ It had taken four tries before Alya managed to get a decent picture and swiftly began texting.  _"You are so rooming with us this fall, no excuses! I'm making sure Lotte knows to call me first thing in the morning so we can make arrangements. I'm so excited; I can't sleep anymore!"_

_"Me either! I need to pack-- oh what should I wear? I don't know if my wardrobe will be approprié for the trip. I will email you my itinerary, Alya, Lila. Je te verrai plus tard!"_

_"Bye Mari!"_ Lila waved as Marinette cut the feed and snatched up her phone. Before she could even dial, the phone number to her Parisian contact for the program appeared on screen. She blinked and quickly accepted the call.

_"Bonjour, c'est Marinette."_

A warm chuckle rumbled out through the other side of the phone,  _"Bonjour, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, my name is M. Damocles. I am your contact for the ISSEP program. I presume you have received our letter?"_

_"Oui! Oui, merci M. Damocles! I'm so excited for this trip. I've been dreaming about this for so long."_

_"Your application was splendid and you met our requirements perfectly. It's a pleasure to hear you are going on the trip you desire. If you have any questions at all about the program's rules or your itinerary, please do not hesitate to call me here at this number. Once you reach America, you will contact your American representative for the program. Comprendre?"_

_"Oui, parfaitement. Merci!"_ Hanging up the phone, Marinette gazing at the letter in her hands with unbridled joy. She was finally going to America. She was going to see Alya again and finally meet Lila in person. She would get to meet all of Alya's friends and packmates... maybe she'll even get to see a Chat Noir concert! She was going to  _New Orleans!_ Cheering with joy, she tore into her closet to begin packing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it begins... :)
> 
> No music this time (though a song was chosen in previous drafts...) I will post this now and work on cross posting it onto Tumblr tomorrow.
> 
> I need to apologize for any cultural mishaps (especially in the dialog) that I've made thus far. Please remember that I am just writing a story and Google Translate has been my helper. If you feel the need to make a correction, please let me know :)
> 
> Chapter 3 is already in drafting mode so this story is taking off faster than I expected ;) And now we'll get into the *real* meat of the Supernatural world. If you've already read 'Strut for Me my Love', you'll have at least a window into the world we're heading for.
> 
> Btw: No, I didn't forget ;)


	3. I Don't Have a Godfather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya and Lila get a phone call, and Burnett's Vamp senses are tingling! Why is Master Fu in NEW ORLEANS???

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEADS UP!
> 
> I took some creative licensing towards the end of the chapter. You'll find out why... if you have any concerns, comments or questions about it, feel free to drop it into the comments below!
> 
> How many drafts did this take again....? *eyes the waste bin of rejected chapters* Oh yeah...

_Vvvvrrrrrrr-vrrrrr_

_Vvvvrrrrrrr-vrrrrr_

_Just leave a message,_ Alya thought drowsily. The brown-ombre haired Werewolf burrowed her head deeper into her pillow as she reached over to silence her cell phone. She sighed in relief as silence enveloped her dark room again and she began to slip back into her dreams.

_"Excuse me, Ms. Awesomness! You have a text message!"_

The alert was well enough. If someone didn't leave a voicemail for her to call back, Alya would read the text when she got up in--

_"Excuse me, Ms. Awesomness! You have a text message!"_

Alya cracked open a hazel-gold eye in irritation.

_"Excuse me, Ms. Awesomness! You have a text message!"_

Okay, this was getting ridiculous. Alya flipped over and grabbed her glowing Samsung and swiftly silenced it before the alert could go off again and locked the screen. She hummed softly and closed her eyes, willing herself to go back to dreamland. She jumped when she heard Lila's phone begin to ring from their shared living room and growled in annoyance. If her sister from another mister had left her phone behind again, Alya was going to  _kill_ her for waking her up!

_Vvvrrrrr-vrrrrr_

Again, her phone began to vibrate with the incoming call. She grabbed it, threw the covers off and stomped out of her bedroom as she accepted the call without looking at the number.  _"Did you do this on purpose? Because I swear to the GODS Lila, if you're calling out fake sick again I will personally skin--"_

 _"Alya?"_ The interrupter on the other side of the line was definitely  _not_ Lila.

Alya froze in mid-stride just as Lila's door flew open and the irritated Italian appeared in the opening. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Lila snapped, rubbing her eyes. "It's four in the morning, and I just got to sleep!"

Alya didn't answer at first before glancing at Lila's phone, which now flashed with a text message.  _"Alya, are you there?"_ the question wasn't in English.

Alya's breath hitched instantly. She pulled the phone away to check the number but didn't recognize it at all. In fact, the number was local. She frowned and put the phone back to her ear,  _"Who is this? I think you have the wrong number."_

 _"Ali it's me!"_ the voice hissed.  _"Coccinelle!"_

_"Mari?"_

The voice on the other side hiccuped, _"C-can you come get me please?"_

Get her!? Alya pushed a hand through her sleep mussed locks and wondered if she was dreaming. She pinched herself to check. Nope, most definitely not a dream.  _"Marinette? What do you mean, you're in Paris. Are you alright? Has something happened?_

Marinette's voice shuttered as she spoke in English to someone before answering Alya again,  _"I... I just landed at Louis Armstrong. I'm going--"_

 _"You're in Louisiana?!"_ Alya burst out in English.

Lila, who was dosing on her door frame, jerked awake again. "Huh?! What's wrong? Who's in Louisiana-- Alya, where are you going?"

Alya didn't answer as she swiped up her keys and ran to get her coat.  _"Where are you right now? How did you get here?_ When _did you get here?!"_ The line clicked and buzzed with a lost connection tone. Alya swiftly hit redial as she struggled to put on her shoes.

"Alya, what's wrong? Who's in Louisiana?" Lila grabbed her jacket and swiftly slipped on her sandals.

"Marinette just called. She said she just landed at Louis Armstrong International-- for the love of all the gods,  _pick up!"_

Lila gaped, "Marinette?! As in Marinette Dupain-Cheng? Your best friend from  _Paris, France_ is here?"

"That's what she said! Come on Mari, pick up the phone!"

Lila grabbed her cell phone and unlocked the screen. The message was from an unfamiliar number, but it only consisted one word:  _Lila?_

 _She must've been trying to get ahold of us_ , the Italian Were thought and shoved the phone into the pocket of her jacket. She tried sending a message back and watched as the message went from  _sending_ to  _sent._.. but no  _delivered_ mark appeared. She ran a hand over her tired eyes in frustration. "Your car or mine?"

* * *

Burnett James  _hated_ airplanes. He hated the smell of them, he hated the smell of airsick humans, he hated when his ears threatened to pop when they took off and began to land, but more than  _anything_ he hated it when his baby girl, Hanna, cried. When Hanna cried, Holiday stressed out. With the baby being half Fae, her mother's calming touch didn't always work to soothe the infant. Which led to Burnett holding her for the majority of the flight. Why she couldn't settle like her adopted brother, Ashton, was beyond him. He could hear the baby shapeshifter a few seats behind him with Miranda. Ashton was Miranda's fiance's nephew. Perry had readily agreed to Burnett and Holiday adopting the boy after arresting Perry's eldest blood brother. It seemed that Perry's discomfort with flying on an airline didn't translate to the baby, for which Burnett was thankful.

Kylie Galen, his wife's Protege and resident Chameleon of Shadow Falls, continued to glance back at him in concern whenever Hanna whimpered or cried during turbulence. Lucas Parker, sensing his mate's concern, also kept a watchful eye on them. However, Burnett could sense the Were's growing discomfort during the ride. "We're almost there, little one," he tried to soothe, rocking Hanna back and forth in his arms. "Just a bit further." The infant whimpered and buried her nose deeper into his shirt. If he weren't so uncomfortable, he would've found the gesture adorable.

"How are you doin' dear?" Holiday asked, squeezing his hand. The Fae's warming comfort flowed through his Vampire cold skin and traveled through his system. His shoulders relaxed minutely, but his grimace was fixed on his face.

"I'll feel better when this hunk of junk  _lands!"_ he hissed softly. "This whole thing was a terrible idea. Hanna won't fu-fu-fudging settle down for anything. And if I hear one more person on this blasted flight get sick, _I'm_ going to lose my lunch!"

Holiday cracked a smile as her husband caught his near slip and gave his hand an affectionate squeeze.

_"Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking. Please return to your seats as we prepare to land. If you look out your windows, you will see Louis Armstrong International Airport for your viewing pleasure. Thank you for flying Delta Airlines."_

"Finally," both parents sighed, and Kylie giggled from her seat. Burnett only shot her a withering look as he handed Hanna back to Holiday to snap his seatbelt in place. He stopped briefly when he caught a strange odor in the air. It wasn't fresh airsickness like he had been smelling for the past hour, or poor baby Hanna passing gas... no, this one didn't belong. His dark eyes flicked up and around until they landed on another young woman with sky blue eyes. He blinked in surprise and sniffed again before pinching his brows together reflexively to check her pattern: Werewolf. He arched an eyebrow in surprise and glanced at Lucas to gauge his reaction.

The blue-eyed Werewolf caught his eye and arched a dark brow. Burnett tilted his head slightly in silent signal to the woman sitting a few rows back of them. Lucas looked back and tightened his brows at the female. She did the same and then arched an eyebrow as if to ask, 'what?' Lucas turned back to Burnett and raised one shoulder in a shrug, apparently unsure of what he was asking. The Vampire turned back to the woman, getting a better whiff of her exotic scent. She was dressed casually in a black blazer over a white with flower print blouse, pink jeans, and flats, and her raven black hair was mussed. Her pigtails were lopsided as if she had been asleep. He could smell slight perspiration as if she hadn't bathed for at least twenty-four hours or so. Nothing appeared unusual about her, but that's exactly what rubbed Burnett wrong.

Her smell and her appearance didn't strike him as someone who would be riding coach on a commercial airline. Her posture was straight, much straighter than he'd seen for many women in her age group. Her feet were planted firmly on the floor, and her hands were clasped neatly over the top of a spiral bound book in her lap. Her fingers had graphite smudges on them, so she either wrote or she drew. Their eyes met again, and Burnett pinched his brows to check her pattern again. It remained Were, but he noted subtle changes in it. His frown deepened in curiosity. She glanced away, cheeks coloring and fiddled with the pages of her book.

"Burnett? Is something wrong?" Holiday asked softly, turning to try and see what had her husband's attention. Burnett put a hand on her arm, stilling his wife. He didn't want to attract more attention if he didn't need to. He would watch; but in all honesty, he wasn't sure what he was seeing.

About thirty minutes later, the plane finally landed, and people began disembarking. He watched the woman reach under her seat and draw out a pink backpack with the initials DC stitched in blue thread on the top flap. He followed the flow of passengers, making sure to keep her in his line of sight. "Burnett," Lucas murmured, joining him at his side. "What's up?"

"That Werewolf," he pointed subtly, watching as the woman pulled out a pair of sunglasses.

"What about her?"

"It's almost four in the morning, and she's wearing  _sunglasses._ "

Lucas looked closer and his eyebrow quirked in plain curiosity. "Maybe bright lights bother her?"

The notion was possible, but Burnett didn't buy it. Thunder rumbled suddenly overhead, and people hurried inside. One person pushed the woman forward in their haste, pushing her hard into a puddle. He cursed, instinct pushing him into action and he hurried ahead to offer his assistance.

"Are you alright child?" an elderly man in a red Hawaiian print shirt stopped and extended his hand. Burnett paused, mildly surprised. The old man was easily half the girl's height and lame if the cane was any indication. Yet when he offered his hand, the girl took it and pushed herself to her feet with a word of thanks. "It's quite alright. Be careful out here on the tarmac; it can be slippery."

 _"Oui, merci monsieur,"_   the woman smiled, and Burnett's shoulders relaxed a bit. Perhaps he was curious for nothing. She spoke French, which wasn't uncommon in New Orleans. He guessed she was a resident on the red eye flight getting home. He started to return to his group when the old man turned and met him square in the eye. Burnett's shoulders tightened again as he swiftly checked the old man's pattern, but it was too dark to see properly. The old man just raised his cane in greeting and walked on; however, his gait was much stronger than the Vampire initially gave him credit for. Movement, Vampire fast movement, caught his eye and Burnett turned his head to look. He got a flash of Vampire scent, and he instantly stopped to allow his wife and child to catch up to him.

"Where did you run off to?" Holiday asked, shrugging Hanna's baby bag on her shoulder.

"There's something I have to check out," Burnett told her. He looked and met Lucas's eyes, and the Werewolf nodded without needing to be asked. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he promised and kissed her forehead.

"Turn on your cell phone," Holiday ordered softly. "Meet you at baggage claim?"

The Vampire nodded and took turned to weave in and out of foot traffic. He passed the puddle where the woman had fallen and almost jerked to a stop. Blood. The poor girl must've scraped herself when she fell. He cursed under his breath and followed the trace with his nose while his eyes scanned for the Vamp that passed by only minutes ago. He prayed he wasn't on the tail of a rogue on the prowl for a live meal.

It only took a moment for Burnett to find the raven haired woman, only to spot the old man from earlier. He frowned, watching as he matched her pace evenly enough to follow without her knowing. Suspicion sufficiently piqued, he followed as well. She paused for a moment to read the signs overhead, lips moving as she read them off and then turning in a direction.  _Now_ Burnett was curious; she was walking  _away_ from baggage claim. Did she seriously travel all that time with just a backpack? He doubted it.

He followed the pair down two escalators and into a food court. Immediately his stomach knotted as the overwhelming stench of human food hit his nose. Breathing to calm himself again, he closed his eyes briefly to gather his bearings before moving forward. He watched as the woman walked up to a Starbucks kiosk and order a drink while fishing out a wallet from her backpack. Burnett wondered if  _everything_ she owned was pink since the wallet was decorated with pink stones. He was proven wrong when she pulled out... a passport?

Now the Vamp was confused. His resident theory flew straight out the window as other possibilities filled his head. He barely realized that he was next in line to purchase a drink when someone prodded his leg. He turned and blinked at the old man in surprise. It was rare to surprise a Vampire and even rarer to surprise  _Burnett James._ "Coffee, black no sugar."

The barista flicked her eyes up and down his form and snapped her gum. "Size?"

"Tall."

The girl pressed a few buttons before turning to fill his drink order. Paying, he stepped to the side and cursed when he realized he lost the woman. "Is there something you need help with?" the old man asked, joining him with a cookie in hand. Burnett met the old man's gray-hazel eyes and checked his pattern: half Fae, half witch. He blinked as he studied the odd pattern. It appeared that the Fae was more dominant in this person, but he clearly had some sort of magickal talent. "I'm warning you, son, if you're after that young girl for any malicious reason, I will have to insist your rethink your options."

Burnett arched a brow, "I think you have me confused with someone else."

"I know you've been following her since you got off the plane. I've had enough trouble keeping your friend occupied, but I won't hesitate to deal with you as well."

The Vamp's eyes slightly brightened at the implied threat, and he fought to keep his canines in. He fished out his badge and showed it to him, "I'm Agent Burnett James, and I work for the Fallen Research Unit in Fallen, Texas--"

"I'm aware of the Research Unit offshoots of the FBI, but that doesn't ease my concerns, Agent. Why are you following her?"

"Why are  _you_ following her?" Burnett returned the question.

The old man smiled, and his shoulders relaxed minutely, "I'm ensuring she gets to where she needs to go." Burnett tilted his head slightly towards the man, tuning his ears to his heartbeat to detect a lie. When he didn't, he continued his questioning.

"Is she from here?"

"No," the old man answered quietly, taking a bite of his cookie. "She's visiting." The man's heart jumped slightly, and Burnett arched a brow at the half truth. He took a stab at the dark.

"She's a runaway."

The old man bit into the cookie again, "Not exactly; she's of age to be making choices of her own." His heart didn't necessarily jump again, but Burnett sensed another half truth. He frowned.

"Abusive home?"

"A lonely home." Complete truth this time. That one hit the Vamp in the heart. "You haven't asked about your friend yet," the old man continued. "Either you're new partners, or you two don't work well."

Burnett blinked, "If you mean Lucas, the Werewolf I'm with, he's back protecting my family."

The old man blinked, tugging at his beard. "You don't have another vampire?" The two men stared at each other, and both uttered a combined 'shit.'

 

* * *

 

Marinette was exhausted. It was by astonishing luck that she was able to travel almost non-stop and with very little delay to get to New Orleans. She couldn't wait to get into a shower and wash off the stench of compressed, stale, airline air out of her hair and eat a real meal. While there was only one flight confusion between her flight from Paris to JFK, then JFK to Houston, Marinette was still glad she made the trip with relative ease.

 

But for all her incredible luck, she couldn't make her new phone turn back on for the life of her! Despite it being so early in the morning, there were far too many humans for her to use any kind of spell to recharge the battery.  _That's what I get for buying this here,_ she thought bitterly. She had already taken a huge risk using a repair spell on the notebook paper that she kept Lila's and Alya's phone numbers. She also couldn't risk turning her personal cell phone back on.  _Grand-mère must know I've left the mansion by now. If I turn my phone back on, she'll definitely know where I've gone._

Thoughts of her grandmother made her blue eyes sting and magick burn in her blood.  _Not now,_ she urged herself as she ran an exhausted hand over her eyes.  _Don't think about those things right now. I just hope that Alya got my messages._ Fresh tears stung her eyes for a moment and Marinette willed herself not to cry again. She already had a small break hearing Alya's voice, she wasn't going to start again now!

Marinette sipped from her latte, sighing in relief as the sweet drink washed over her tongue and warmed her from the inside out. Thinking about Alya and Lila temporarily banished her fury at her grandmother. She delved into her memories of all the videos the Werewolves had sent her over the last year or so about Everfree College. The memories helped strengthen her resolve about this being the right choice.

Her mind flashed to the strange Vampire she saw on her flight from Houston. The way he looked at her had unnerved her some, like the way the Customs officers or the airport security would look at her too long. She had been conscious about switching her pattern every time she came across a supernatural member of law enforcement. If her grandmother sent out the word that she was missing, the guards would be looking for a witch. Unfortunately, switching between Vampire and Werewolf weren't the most appealing choices when dealing with airports. Her poor sense of smell was already clogged with all the conflicting scents, so she was thankful for the coffee in her hands. For now, she wore a Fae pattern and prayed it would be enough.

Making it to the main entrance of the airport, she glanced over the top of her sunglasses and smiled when she found an open charging station. She sat down and hastily plugged in her new phone's charger and waited until she saw the screen light up.  _"Magnifici!"_ she cheered, gaining attention from several other patrons. Marinette blushed in embarrassment as she fished out her headphones and swiftly jabbed them into her device as she waited for it to boot.

"Long flight?" a voice chuckled behind her. The voice was lightly accented and was speaking in English. Marinette turned with a weary smile.

"You have no idea."

The person that stood two feet beside her was dressed in all dark clothing with his hood up over his head. Piercing green eyes almost glowed from beneath the hood when his lips twitched up in a friendly smile. "Do you need to make a call?" he fished out his phone from his pocket. Marinette noticed that his own headphones were plugged into the jack and music played faintly from one of the unused speakers. Marinette almost agreed but then hesitated. Knowing Alya, she would see another unknown number and immediately assume the worst.

"No, thanks, though," she declined with a smile. "I'll be fine."

"Suit yourself," the man shrugged and took the seat beside her. "Where are you from?"

Marinette hesitated, wondering if she should answer honestly. She glanced up to check his pattern, but his blond hair was in the way of his forehead. She almost started to change her pattern to a Werewolf or a Vampire to check his scent when he did a reflexive eyebrow twitch of his own and arched an eyebrow with a smirk.  _Too late to change anything now,_ she thought and offered a hesitant smile. "Paris," she answered.

"Texas?"

She blinked, wondering how in the world he got Texas when she knew she clearly stated Paris. He misread read her confusion as he pointed to the gates behind her. "Two flights from Texas landed about twenty minutes ago," he pointed out. Marinette still didn't understand. What was the correlation between her home city and Texas? She knew Texas was a state in the US... she struggled, trying to remember her geography. The stranger was about to speak again, and Marinette found herself speaking first.

"France."

"Huh?"

"Paris is in  _France,_ " she clarified, thinking that perhaps geography wasn't  _this_ person's strong suit. The stranger blinked several times as if what she said startled him. Then he burst out laughing as if she told the funniest joke in the world! Her cheeks began to heat, "What's so funny?"

"Your face," the man laughed. "You looked so serious just now! I just-- I can't help it!" he laughed harder. Marinette's cheeks flamed crimson, and she glanced at her phone to check the status. The power bar flashed a measly 2%, but it would have to do for the time being. She reached to unplug her device, the stranger quickly grabbed her wrist and held it tightly. "I'm sorry! I don't mean to laugh, really. But... your  _face_ was priceless!" He took a breath as if to sober himself. "My name's Adrien."

She caught her lip between her teeth, unsure of how to respond. On the one hand, she wanted to leave before she further embarrassed herself; on the contrary, good manners dictated that she return the greeting. Cheeks still flaming, she held out her hand to shake. "Marinette."

Adrien smiled and raised her hand to his lips,  _"Enchanté Marinette."_  

The girl's cheeks recolored again, and she eyed the hooded man before her. _"Tu parle français?"_

_"Oui, couramment."_

Marinette believed him. The way his lips formed over her native language made her heart skip a beat. Never had a simple phrase, much less one she understood just as fluently as he did, sound so beautiful. The gesture eased some of her tension, and she smiled back at him. She wanted to switch to French but knew that if she was going to keep appearances here in New Orleans, she was going to have to get used to speaking English. "What brings you here,  _Monsieur Adrien?"_ Okay... mostly English.

Adrien cocked his head back towards the gates. "I'm waiting for some colleagues of mine," he answered back in English. "My boss sent me here to greet them--" he yawned suddenly, and Marinette noticed the dark circles under his eyes. "They were supposed to be here an hour ago, but their flight was delayed."

 _How strange,_ she thought. "What a coincidence, my flight was delayed as well."

Adrien blinked and cracked a grin, "Delta flight 212?"

_"Ouais!"_

"That is a quite a coincidence," Adrien grinned and leaned forward. "Or _purr-haps_ it's fate?" Marinette rolled her eyes and pushed him back with the tip of her finger to the bridge of his nose and internally groaned. It seems her new friend had an unfortunate affinity for puns.

"Coincidence," she reaffirmed.

"I don't know, you are in New Orleans; one of the most magickal cities in the United States. Fate has a funny way of showing up uninvited."

"I'll keep that in mind," she quipped back and took a sip of her latte. She saw Adrien take a sniff and tried again to see his pattern but still couldn't get past his hair. She was sure he was supernatural, but she could hardly guess what kind.

Adrien started to say something else when a shadow fell overtop them, and a cold breeze followed. The hair on the back of Marinette's neck stood up as she recognized the gesture. It was Madeline's signature move; a _Vampire_ move. _"Allô Marinette."_  She took a breath to steady herself, and she turned around. Her eyes landed on a leanly muscled chest that peeked out through the lapels of a black leather jacket. Her eyes trailed upwards. She recognized the face from the many news reports she had read back in France, but she _never_ imagined running into the man; much less  _here_ in New Orleans! A quick glance at his pattern confirmed her guess. His name was Jackady.

Jackady's thin lips spread into a grin, exposing slightly elongated canine teeth. "My, you have grown up."

Adrien straightened in his seat, sensing Marinette's distress, shifted beside her, "Can I help you, Mister?"

The man raised his head and flashed Adrien a winning smile. "I'm here to pick up goddaughter from the Airport. You remember me, don't you  _petit?_ It's me, Uncle Simon! What's it been, five years since I last saw you?" Simon's, or Jackady, as she reminded herself belatedly, jovial mood was infectious, and Marinette found herself compelled to smile and throw her arms around him as if he  _were_ her uncle. But in her heart, she  _knew_ he wasn't. She blinked rapidly, fighting the compulsion as she met Simon's-- _no, JACKADY'S--_  piercing, hypnotic bluish purple eyes. He smiled, and she felt a responding gesture tug at the corners of her lips. "You must be  _exhausted_ from your flight."

Marinette was tired. She felt as if she could fall asleep right here in this chair. Jackady was already picking up her backpack and slinging it over his shoulder as he opened his other arm in an invitation for her to lean on him. And what was the most irrational part of it all, was that Marinette  _wanted_ to do it. This was her uncle right? No... he said he was her godfather, but that still made him trustworthy right? She was so tired...

 _"No! No, you can't go with him, Marinette. Fight it! Resist the compulsion!_ _"_ Tikki's voice shot through her mind like a lightning bolt.  _"He's an akuma, fight his power!"_

An akuma? Yes! That's right! This was Jackady, one of Hawk Moth's most influential akuma members. He was a wanted man in Paris and a master kidnapper. She stumbled back, realizing she had gotten to her feet somehow and fell into Adrien's lap. The blond yelped softly in surprise and Marinette winced as she felt his keys dig into her leg. But the pain brought a fresh wave of awareness to her mind and broke the last hold of Jackady's power over her.

"I don't have a godfather."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *fans self* Almost 5000 words and I'm already working on the next chapter.
> 
> For those of you following my other words such as Avatar: The First Balance and the Court of Miracles series, I AM STILL WORKING ON THEM! THEY ARE ACTIVE!
> 
> I just don't post until I'm at least 98% satisfied with the end result. Do you know how many drafts I've done for this chapter of Wished at Midnight ALONE??? ~~Too damn many...~~
> 
> So now Mari meets Adrien for the first time. And DUN DUN DUUUUUN! We have our first akuma enter the ring! One of the MLB Original Akumas: JACKADY!!!! *cricket chirp*
> 
> *blink* Ahem...
> 
> Aaaand in this corner: we have the Original Shadow Falls A Team: BURNETT, HOLIDAY, KYLIE, DELLA, MIRANDA, LUCAS, CHASE AND PERRY!!! *ROARING APPLAUSE*
> 
> And also returning for a grand appearance: MASTER FU FROM MIRACULOUS LADYBUG! *ROARING APPLAUSE*
> 
> Okay, time to get serious here: I played around with Jackady's abilities just a wee bit... *holds fingers about an inch apart* so I'm taking creative licensing with this one. I had played with this compulsion concept with other vampire characters, but when bringing it into the MLB-verse, Jackady as a vampire just fit the bill. I find that it gives him abit more depth and detail to his character and his abilities as a whole. And why his powers would be such a temptation for Hawk Moth to have on his side ;)
> 
> See you in the comments below!  
> -Kestra


	4. A Cat on the Prowl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be making a ton of apologies on all my stories, so if you're reading this and have read my other, recently updated, stories, you can skip this.
> 
> I've had a ton of crap hit me all at once and before I knew it, the last 12 months that I've REALLY posted for any of the writing sites disappeared in a puff of smoke. But I'm back! And I hope you enjoy the upcoming installment to Wished at Midnight!

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. First was Adrien's shock over having Marinette fall into his lap. Second was her declaration over not having a godfather. Third was Jackady's face. The jovial grin he had gone slack with surprise before twisting in irritation. His purplish eyes brightened into an acidic green swiftly, and his fangs began to lengthen as his anger began to take over. Adrien's emerald eyes watched as Jackady's overcoat shift and reveal a familiar black butterfly tattoo. His breath caught, and his arm went around Marinette's waist as his instincts propelled him into protective mode. Likewise, Marinette became aware of just how dire her situation was and her instincts kicked into gear.

Her mind raced as her grandmother's lessons echoed loudly in her ears.

_Be swift, be subtle, be firm._

_Never make a scene, never risk exposing yourself._

Pulling a breath of oxygen into her lungs, she instantly felt connected to the many emotions around her. Many of them were human, most of whom were sleepy and oblivious to their surroundings. She sensed other supernaturals, including the one behind her. Adrien knew she had a Fae pattern.

Her mind rushed to the catalog of Fae talents she had mastered over the years. Somewhere in the chaos, a memory surfaced and quietly blessed whatever luck was still with her.She had only learned this trick almost four months ago after meeting another supernatural Fae named Derek Lakes. The pair had met at a banquet fundraiser that her grandmother hosted to help further education for future supernatural doctors. Marinette managed to escape both her grandmother and her bodyguard and found a hiding place in the greenhouse. The memory over how they initially met would've made her laugh out loud, but this wasn't the time for that. There was one particular talent that Derek told her that very few Fae supernaturals could master; overpowering an opponent's emotional state.

_"It's forcing two or more emotions into overdrive at the same time," Derek explained. "For example, fight and flight. If you push them into action fast enough, exhaustion will take over. The body will have to shut down to recuperate."_

Marinette never had the opportunity to put Derek's lesson to use until now. She always had bodyguards that came to her rescue. Well, she didn't have them now.She would have to email Derek later to thank him for his impromptu self-defense lesson.  _It won't just save my life, but Adrien's too,_ she thought.

Time sped up. "Don't panic," Marinette and Adrien ordered at the same time, both in each other's native languages.

Adrien's attention shot to Marinette in surprise as he reached under his jacket towards his belt. Marinette started to rise from his lap, but his arm tightened to keep her in place. It didn't matter, she realized with an odd sense of clarity. She didn't need to stand for this.

Marinette's eyes began to glow an iridescent blue, and her hands flashed up and grabbed Jackady's lapels. The Vampire hissed at her, hands clutching her wrists with bruising force. Adrien growled low in return, but Marinette paid him no mind. Flexing her hands as if she were straightening his collar, she focused all her power on overloading Jackady's emotional system. Meeting her foe's eyes, she allowed his emotions to pour into her. White hot rage flashed all through her, and she felt her face twist in response to mirror the anger. She found another emotion inside of him, fear, and latched onto it. Belatedly she realized it wasn't probably the best choice because Jackady's grip tightened even more to where Marinette's lips parted, and she shrieked in pain. Her injury overrode her task and her connection to her attacker's emotions severed instantly. Jackady croaked only once before his eyes rolled up and he fell face first into her lap. Marinette, still reeling from the emotional onslaught herself, couldn't stop the scream of surprise from ripping out of her mouth.

The sound instantly drew attention from almost everyone around her. It only took a second before people began to rush forward. An airport security guard drew out a weapon and aimed it at Adrien. "Freeze!" She sensed her captor bristle as she fought against the storm of emotions that still ravaged inside of her.

 _I've lost control, oh mon Dieu I lost control,_ she realized. Derek had warned her this could happen. He described it as a backlash wave that would magnify not only her own emotions but the emotions of those around her as well. She heard the guards asking questions, but her brain refused to translate the languages. He hands weakly pushed Jackady's heavy body to roll him off of her but had no success. Adrien kept calling her name, but she didn't understand a word he said. He grabbed her arms, trying to steady her as she struggled to get up as Jackady's unconscious body remained where he landed.

 _I want him off of me;_ she kept chanting over and over in her head.  _Get off! Get off! GET OFF!_ But the harder she pushed, the more she felt her strength ebbing from her body.

Suddenly, her wish was granted, and someone pulled Jackady off of her. Marinette trembled as she scrambled back into Adrien's arms, covering her ears as people began to pelt her with questions and accusations.

 _"Everybody! SHUT UP!"_ a voice bellowed, and instantly the whole lobby went silent. Marinette's head snapped up to see a dark-haired man flash a wallet out to the crowd as he held the unconscious man by the collar of his jacket. It took a few seconds for her to recognize him.

"You're the man from the plane," she uttered.

The man, an officer of some sort she guessed, turned to look at her and then behind her to Adrien. They exchanged a few words in English. Then the airport security began to argue with the man and Marinette had to furrow her brow to concentrate on what was being said.

"--heard was her scream and these two lunatics mauling her!" one security guard accused.

"I wasn't mauling her!" Adrien snapped behind her. "I was trying to protect her!  _He_ wanted to get her to leave with him!"

"Likely story," the second security guard, a stout looking human man with a wild excitement in his eyes, drawled. "Criminals will always sell out their own to save their own skins."

 _"Non,"_ Marinette spoke up, voice still shaking. "Adrien is telling the truth," she pointed a finger. "H-he is Jackady." The dark-haired savior whipped his attention from the humans and onto her.

"You speak English?" It took a moment for Marinette to translate what was asked before nodding.

"My name is Burnett James; I'm an agent that works for the Fallen Research Unit based in Texas--"

"You're Agent James?" Adrien interrupted. The blond shot to his feet, barely catching Marinette in time before a leather  _fwap_ hit the floor. He blushed and bent down slowly to pick up the fallen wallet and open it up to reveal an identification badge. "I'm Adrien; I was sent here by my boss to escort you to NORU headquarters."

The Vampire, Burnett, Marinette remembered, glanced briefly at the badge before turning to the airport security. "I'm officially taking over this case as an FR-- I mean, a NORU case."

"The fuck is NORU?" the pudgy security guard demanded, beady eyes zeroing in on the badge in Burnett's hand. His partner, a younger man that seemed to recognize Burnett, grasped his co-worker's shoulder.

"The FRU is the Fallen Research Unit, an offshoot of the FBI. NORU is Louisiana's branch of the system," he explained.

The pudgy man scowled, apparently miffed that his thunder had been stolen. "I didn't hear anything about the FBI or any of their offshoots coming through here. What the hell--"

"If we may move this away from prying ears," Burnett cut him off, pulling out his cell phone and putting it to his ear. His dark eyes met Marinette's blue ones, and his brow twitched reflexively, checking her pattern. The details of the early morning suddenly caught up with the Half-Chameleon.

1- She was in America, running away from home.

2- She was nearly kidnapped by a wanted criminal, a known Akuma named Jackady; a man who was responsible for dozens of kidnappings across the globe.

3- She was face to face with one of the most famous faces of law enforcement in the Supernatural world, one that could send her back to Paris in an instant.

It was too much. Her body dropped like a stone in a dead faint.

* * *

_At first, Marinette couldn't make sense of what she was seeing. The images mashed together in her brain and she tried desperately to make sense of it all. She was on a plane first, with a strange blond man that was holding her hand. It was warm, and she enjoyed his company. She squinted at the picture. It was wrong; there was no blond man on the plane. The image blurred and shifted to put in an empty seat. That seemed right._

_Then she dreamed that she was standing beside a campfire. The heat from the flames warmed her skin delightfully, but she didn't smell any of the smoke she expected. Then the fire froze and became a decorative electric fireplace. It was a familiar picture in her head._

_"No," she breathed as she turned in place and faced her room in Paris. Her eyes landed on the French doors that led to her balcony; they were barred. "No!" It became hard to breathe as she tried spell after spell to get the bars to break, but nothing worked. "No! NO!" she cried out. She tried to force them apart with brute strength._

_"Calm down," a new voice ordered her. A warm wave of calm washed over her and instantly her hands on the bars relaxed. She watched as they disintegrated into handfuls of dust. "You're safe now. It's okay." Marinette suppressed an un-ladylike snort. She didn't feel safe. Why did she ever think leaving Paris was a good idea?_

_"Your friends are waiting for you; you have to wake up."_

_Wake up?_

_That's right, this was all a dream._

_"She's emotionally shocked," a new, soft voice explained. "Give her a moment; she's starting to come around."_

_"Child, you need to wake up," the French-speaking voice told her gently. "Open your eyes."_

Marinette struggled before she did so. She blinked several times and winced at the bright fluorescent lights overhead. She instantly felt connected to about a dozen peoples emotions. One was sweet, brilliant and happy, and it made her want to giggle; several were worried or anxious, one was agitated, another calm... she tried to process it all, but it was starting to give her a headache.

A hand, small but firm, touched the freezing skin on her arm and she felt a Fae's warm, calming touch. She turned her head and faced one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen before. The woman was  _very_ Irish looking, from her fiery red hair to her green eyes. A quick check of her pattern revealed that she was indeed Fae, and concerned over Marinette's well-being. Marinette wet her lips,  _"Allô."_

The Irish woman lit up immediately. "She's awake," she announced.

Marinette sensed people around her stirring and a new face pushed into view. This one she recognized instantly,  _"Alya."_

 _"Marinette you gave me the worst scare of my life!"_ the Werewolf snapped at her as she pulled her best friend into a tight hug.

"What are they saying? Is she alright?" a male voice, speaking English asked.

"She's fine," another male voice answered. "Alya's scolding her for scaring her."

Marinette looked over Alya's shoulder to see Lila standing in the doorway with a blond man, Adrien she remembered. Names and details began to filter through her brain at a more manageable pace.

"Marinette," a new voice drew her attention. The speaker was a short man with almond-shaped brown-hazel eyes and wearing a red Hawaiian shirt. He leaned on a cane as he studied her with a gentle smile.  _"Do you know where you are?"_ he asked in French.

Marinette startled a bit but quickly calmed down as the Irish Fae's touch warmed her through again. Marinette nodded, and she felt Alya let go to help her sit up.  _"Oui, I'm at Louis-Armstrong Airport... in New Orleans."_

 _"Bien; do you know who I am?"_ the man asked again, stroking his short, pointed beard.

Marinette's cheeks colored,  _"No sir, I'm sorry."_

The old man's smile only softened, "I am Fu. I'm your American contact for ISSEP."

"What the fu--ow! I was going to say fudge Holiday!" Burnett growled as his wife pinched him hard on the arm. Holiday only looked at him cooly. "What is ISSEP?" Burnett asked, at last, glaring at Lucas. The Were was hiding his face in his mate's shoulder so not to show he was laughing at his superior.

"ISSEP," Alya spoke up, "stands for the International Supernatural Student Exchange Program. I'm Marinette's best friend, Alya Cesaire. She's going to be rooming with me during her stay."

"International?" Burnett turned to look at the young Parisian woman with calculating eyes. "What's your name, ma'am?"

Marinette glanced at Fu and Alya. Fu nodded while Alya squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I'm Marinette Dupain," she answered. Burnett narrowed his eyes, and she realized, belatedly, that he must've heard a tell to her half-truth. " _Cheng._ My full name is Marinette Dupain- _Cheng._ I'm from Paris, France."

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng, do you have any idea who that man was who tried to kidnap you?" Burnett asked.

"What is this, an interrogation?! Mari, you don't need to answer any more questions. You haven't done anything wrong."

"She's a victim of--"

"Please excuse my husband," Holiday spoke up, a soft, honey accent coating her words. "He's fiercely protective of females. He doesn't mean any harm, I assure you. I'm Holiday James." The Fae extended her hand to shake, which Alya took hesitantly. "It's wonderful to make your acquaintance Ms. Cesaire, Mr. Fu."

"And you two," Burnett looked past Marinette. "Who are you?"

"Lila Rossi," the Werewolf waved as she identified herself. "I'm a student at Everfree College, like Alya."

"Adrien Agreste, I'm the representative from NORU you were supposed to meet. I'm also a student at EC."

Marinette turned to look at the blond in surprise. He was a student  _and_ an agent? Adrien caught her gaze and winked at her with a smirk. The Parisian turned away, trying to push her thoughts into order. "I still need to take a statement from Ms. Dupain-Cheng," Burnett announced. "I've already told airport security we're taking this over as an official NORU case. I need to follow through with that."

"In other words, everyone out," Adrien ordered.  _"Allons-y, let's go."_

"Uh, I'm not going anywhere without Mari," Alya snapped. "So you can take that  _Allons-y_ and shove it, Agreste!"

"Alya," Marinette hissed, cheeks beginning to turn pink with embarrassment. "Please don't."

"I have to insist that I remain with  _Mlle. Dupain-Cheng,_ " Fu announced. "As her American representative, she is under my charge for the duration of her stay. Out of everyone, I need to stay."

"Perfect, just what I need is an international liaison," Burnett muttered. He pulled out his cell phone and quickly punched out a text before barking out a second order for the civilians to leave the room. Alya, however, remained firmly rooted in her place. Marinette gave her friend a gentle push.

_"Please, Als. I need to give him something, so he'll let me go to campus."_

_"But what if he sends you back to Paris? Your grand-mère will never let you see the light of day again!"_

"Is there a problem?" Burnett interrupted, brown eyes flicking between the two French-speaking women.

"No, Alya was just reminding me about the paperwork I need to sign when I get to campus. She's leaving now," Marinette's tone was final and unmoving. Alya growled softly in frustration before giving her best friend a tight hug and leaving the room. When the door shut, Adrien pushed off the wall and pulled a chair over. He spun it around, so he sat in it backward and stared intently at the blue-eyed girl.

"And what would your grandmother have to do with the school's paperwork, _chéri?"_  

Marinette narrowed her eyes but didn't answer. Burnett looked at the two, perplexed. "Look, I don't speak a lick of French kids. So I'd appreciate it if you keep this to an English based session, understand? I don't know where this bullshit with grandparents popped up, but it's not relevant to the case  _Agent Agreste."_ Adrien straightened his posture, but his green eyes didn't move from Marinette's face. "Miss Dupain-Cheng, in the United States, when a crime is attempted or committed, officers of the law need to take statements from the victims and the witnesses so we can prosecute the criminals. I don't want to have a reason to send you back home, especially since you just got here. So if you'll take the time to answer my questions, I'll be happy to let you go so you can join your friends at Everfree College."

 _"Oui-_ I mean yes, yes I understand Agent James."

"Thank you, and you can call me Burnett," the Vampire smiled and took a seat as well. He pulled out a legal pad from the desk and clicked open a pen. After notating the date, time, and people present, he went straight to business. "Ms. Dupain-Cheng, do you know the name of the criminal that tried to abduct you this morning?"

"Yes, his name is Jackady... or Simon Grimault is his legal name if I remember the news correctly. He's an akuma gang member."

"That's correct. Do you have any idea why he would target you specifically?"

Marinette glanced at Fu, who gave her an encouraging smile. "It's alright. You're not in any trouble Marinette. Just tell it like it is."

Marinette continued to hesitate, and Burnett sighed softly, "Ms. Dupain-Cheng, if you don't tell me what I need to know, regardless how bad it looks, I'm going to be forced to detain you--"

 _"Ma grand-mère,_ my grandmother is Zyah Cheng. She's the head of the Cheng fashion label and head to my... family."

Adrien whistled and leaned his chin on his fists, "Zyah Cheng is also the High Priestess of the Coven of Dragons which makes you--"

"-- Half-Witch, yes," Marinette glared at the blond. "You know your celebrities."

"So if Jackady successfully kidnapped you, then you'd be a pretty penny ransom," Adrien finished.

 _If only it were that simple,_ Marinette thought.

"That's normally not Jackady's style, though," Adrien went on. "His targets normally catch his boss's attention for one reason or another. Is there anything you or your family has that would catch Hawkmoth's attention _chéri?"_

 _He means the Miraculous gems,_ Marinette thought, fighting to keep her heartbeat under control. "I cannot say." Marinette's inflection was beguiling, despite the true meaning of her words. She felt the peacock pin warm against her chest underneath her blazer. It soothed her knowing that she spoke the truth.

"I see. Thank you Ms. Dupain-Cheng, that'll be all for now."

 _"What?!_ That's it? We catch a wanted man that Interpol has been hunting for over three years and that's  _all_ you're going to ask?!" Adrien shot to his feet, the chair falling to the floor.

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng, Mr. Fu, you're both free to go. If you have any other information for me, I'd appreciate it if you'd give me a call. Night or day," Burnett handed both people his business card and ushered them out the door. Once he was certain they had no prying ears, the Vamp whirled on the young blond agent. His brown eyes brightened slowly to a shimmering acid green, and his canines lowered slowly past his lips. "Are you finished?"

"No! I don't know how you guys get your cases solved in Texas, but NORU holds their interrogations until they're sure they have  _all_ the info. She's hiding something, and you just let her go!"

"She's young, and she's scared," Burnett snapped. "I'm not going to get anything out of Ms. Dupain-Cheng by harassing her like that. She'll tell me in her own time. If I've learned anything about high profile cases, it's that you let them come to you; especially when it's a witch. Take it from me, kid, don't piss off a witch; even a Half-Witch. Have you ever been turned into a kangaroo?" Adrien's puzzled expression was answer enough. "It's not a pleasant experience, trust me." The Vamp inhaled and ran a hand through his hair and scrubbed it down his face. "I figure that by giving her the opportunity to come to us, she'll be more willing to give us the whole truth than what she's comfortable giving."

Adrien crossed his arms and looked at the door where the Parisian girl disappeared. Despite agreeing with Burnett's logic, his gut told him that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was the key to the whole mystery. He just had to figure out how.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come check out [my FB page](https://www.facebook.com/KestraEchoWolf/) for the latest updates and to get in contact with me! Send me one shot prompt requests via PM! Anything to keep the creative juices flowing ;) 
> 
> I don't always check my Tumblr lol... you can also find me on [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/KestraEchoWolf/)
> 
> Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments below :) Even the Annonymous comments are open for your reviews.


	5. Confessions and Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette finally confesses the reason for her sudden appearance in the United States while the FRU and NORU come closer to finding her secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come check out [my FB page](https://www.facebook.com/KestraEchoWolf/) for the latest updates and to get in contact with me! Send me one shot prompt requests via PM! Anything to keep the creative juices flowing ;) 
> 
> I don't always check my [Tumblr](http://kestraechowolf.tumblr.com/) lol... you can also find me on [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/KestraEchoWolf/)
> 
> Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments below :) Even the Annonymous comments are open for your reviews.

"Not that I'm not thrilled you're here,  _ragazza,_ but we weren't expecting exchange students for another two weeks," Lila's statement broke the tense silence between the three women as they drove back to Everfree College. Marinette's summer blue eyes slowly closed, hearing the unspoken question. She honestly expected it; she even tried to prepare for it. Her sudden appearance in the United States, let alone Louisiana, was bound to stir up questions and gossip. She opened her eyes again and caught Alya's gaze in the rearview mirror.

The warmth in both Werewolves eyes touched Marinette's heart, and she felt another tear fall from the corner of her right eye.  _This is Alya and Lila,_ she reminded herself.  _Alya is your best friend, and Lila is her packmate. Werewolves are fiercely loyal by nature._ She could tell them the truth. She reached under her blazer and touched the Peacock Miraculous. The pin's magick warmed her fingers and acted as a balm for her painful feelings as she opened her mouth and began her tale.

* * *

_**Flashback: Two days before arriving in Louisiana** _

* * *

Marinette checked her watch and glared at the second hand; watching as it just barely ticked away another five seconds. She had to time this perfectly. Her grandmother lived on a rigorous schedule that left very little time for personal phone calls. Marinette yawned and took another sip of coffee to help perk her up. She set it far to the side and away from her essential papers detailing her acceptance into the exchange program. Everything was marked and detailed out, right down to her choice of bodyguards that she knew Zyah would have very little trouble arguing against.

She glanced at her watch again: 12:58 AM. Hong Kong was six hours ahead of Paris, and Marinette knew that Zyah would already be awake and performing her morning routine. In two minutes, she would be sitting to eat breakfast.

Was this form of gaining permission to move forward with the exchange program underhanded? Perhaps. Did Marinette care? Maybe a small bit. But she had dreamed of traveling on her own outside of Paris for  _so long._ And the prospect of getting to see her best friend was too tempting an offer to pass up.

1:00 AM.

Marinette hit the call button on her computer and waited. Her anxiety spiked as the monitor rang, but she quickly schooled her expression into a familiar, neutral but happy one. If she looked scared, Zyah would more than likely shoot her down despite all her careful planning and preparation. As she waited for the call to connect, she went ahead and sent the email containing the itinerary and acceptable security plan to her grandmother's tablet.

 _"Marinette, what an unexpected surprise!"_ Zyah Cheng greeted in Chinese as a maid brought out her morning meal.

 _"Zǎo ān, nǎinai,"_ Marinette greeted back and preened as Zyah's lips lifted in the corners to show a hint of a smile.

_"You're up four hours earlier than expected. While I'm pleased, granddaughter, why did you call this morning? Is there something wrong at the house?"_

_"No, everything's fine. I have something I wanted to discuss with you that can't wait till you return."_

Zyah lifted a perfectly plucked black eyebrow and hummed as the maid poured her morning tea. Her eyes flicked to the side when her tablet chirped, alerting that she received Marinette's email. She pulled it to her side and unlocked the device to read it.  _"Go on."_

Marinette pulled a breath to steel herself. It was now or never.  _"Grandmother, I have been accepted in a special program at school."_

_"A special program? About what?"_

_"It's an international student exchange program for supernaturals, the ISSEP. My application was approved, and I am able to attend my first school choice for a full year-long exchange."_ Zyah hummed, reading the first page of the email that Marinette spent hours composing, editing and proof-reading.

_"That's wonderful. It will look wonderful in your-- TO WHERE?!"_

That was not the reaction Marinette was expecting, and apparently not something that was normal for the maids to witness. Zyah's neutral facade cracked, and she shot up from her seat.  _"Everyone out! Out now! I want to be alone with my granddaughter. Chūláile! Chūláile! Chūláile!"_ The maids and cooks scrambled to obey, others stopping to bow at the doors respectfully and then slamming them shut. Zyah's hands flung out in all directions, sending shots of gold magick to every window and door, nook and cranny that could be open for someone to listen through.

Marinette began to tremble,  _"G-grandmother, if you'll go ahead and go to page five-"_

 _"What do you think you're doing, Marinette Dupain-Cheng,"_ Zyah's demand was quiet, but the Half-Chameleon could sense the icy rage in every word. It was when she switched to French.  _"Your first choice of exchange schools is in AMERICA?"_

Marinette fought to keep control, but it was challenging.  _"To Everfree College, in New Orleans, Louisiana. You remember that one, grandmother. Alya Cesaire attends-"_

_"You are not going through with this exchange program, Marinette, much less to America. What on Earth possessed you to think this would be remotely okay?!"_

Marinette's blue eyes stung with tears as she fought to keep her composure.  _"Well, with the drama at Giuseppe Academy that a change of scenery would do some good. A-and I've always wanted to travel."_ It took her exactly half a second to realize that she made a grave mistake with that one sentence.

Zyah's mouth tightened into a thin line.  _"We've already had this discussion before I left for Hong Kong, Marinette. It's not safe for you to leave Paris_ at all _, and you told me you understood this. You deliberately went behind my back thinking I would approve this fantasy trip to see your mutt common dog at a school right smack in the heart of nearly a dozen of akuma attacks? No, I absolutely forbid it!"_

Marinette's cheeks reddened with shame. Of course, her grandmother heard of the akuma attacks. That was  _another_ mistake she didn't account for in her haste to make this call.  _"I know about the risks, and I accounted for almost all of them,"_ she tried again, her voice shaking as she fought not to stutter.  _"Page five of that email shows the list of my top choices for a bodyguard team. And Alya is not a common dog, grandmother. She's training to be an Alpha, remember? She's going to be a leader-"_

 _"The Were is not the topic of discussion, Marinette, focus! I reject your half-baked proposal. You are not going to a school where I cannot guarantee your safety 100%. You are the heir to my fashion industry and our family coven. You are the first priestess to be accepted by the Ladybug Miraculous in over 500 years. You have no idea what kind of power you possibly could hold, child. You are_ not _going to America-"_

_"Everfree College has a supernatural law enforcement program that is funded by the New Orleans Research Unit-- an offshoot of their country's FBI... i-it's closest French brother is our DST! Alya says there are officers and trainees on campus all the time and Maui, one of their camp directors, is a high priest to the local coven. I'm sure he'll offer protec-"_

_"Silence Marinette!"_ Marinette jumped, and a tear escaped and traced shamefully down the apple of her cheek. Having her grandmother raise her voice to her was just as bad as being slapped. Zyah's glare slowly turned her eyes from dark brown to a burning ember red. Marinette could see sparks of her magick dance around her fingers and knew she went too far. She'd lost this battle.  _"You are to remain in your room until I return from Hong Kong. I expect you to get this fantasy out of your mind and rescind your application at your school. I will call the Dean and explain that this is a mix-up and to offer your place to someone else in your class. You are not going through this exchange program. Do you understand me?"_ Marinette's throat knotted tight with emotion, and more tears fell from her eyes. She felt herself nod out of obligation. Zyah's shoulders relaxed minutely as she sat down in her chair again and took her teacup in her hands. She lifted the teabag out of the cup and stirred the contents as if to calm herself.  _"Good. I'm glad we have that settled. Now, I am glad you called this morning."_ This was news. Marinette's face betrayed her surprise because Zyah actually laughed softly.  _"We were going to surprise you when I returned from this trip."_

 _"We?"_ the question escaped before Marinette could stop herself.

 _"_ _Shì,"_ Zyah nodded her confirmation.  _"But since you're upset, I think this news will cheer you up. We will have a special guest coming to Paris to stay with us for about three months."_

Marinette blinked numbly.  _"Oh? Who?"_

_"Shang Li, you remember Shang from the Winter Solstice celebration in Tokyo."_

The raven-haired Half-Witch furrowed her brow in concentration before she was finally able to conjure up the person her grandmother was talking about. Shang came from a long line of powerful Chinese warlocks and both his parents and her grandmother had interacted quite a bit at the party. Shang was polite company, but he was extremely stiff and annoying to speak to.  _"Shang Li is coming to Paris? Why the sudden visit?"_

Zyah Cheng smiled, but Marinette had never felt more chilled by the expression than she did at that second.

 

* * *

_**End Flashback: Current Time** _

* * *

"And?" Lila prompted gently as Alya stared at her best friend with shocked, wide amber eyes. "Why is Shang going to be in Paris?"

Marinette choked on a sob and buried her face in her hands. The ombre-red-haired werewolf was out of her seat and instantly gathered the Half-Witch into her arms in a tight hug. "What?" she asked softly, unable to hear the Parisian's response.

"He-his family accepted our proposal to handfast with me," she wept.

 _"What?!"_ Alya growled, startling both of the other two females in the car.

"What? What's handfasting?" Lila asked, a dubious expression on her face.

"It's a Wiccan commitment ceremony, like a wedding," Alya explained as she stroked Marinette's hair and rocked her gently back and forth.

Lila's jaw dropped in shock, "Marriage? Like... they arranged this?"

Marinette nodded and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her blazer.  _"Grand-mère_ says it's tradition for all Cheng family members. Her mother was arranged to marry her father, his father with her grandmother... so on. M-my  _mère_ was the one to break tradition when she fell in love with  _père."_

"So you ran away from home?" Lila asked.

"Essentially," Marinette confirmed, sniffling. The brunette Were whistled softly, impressed.

"You're not going back to Paris anytime soon, Mari. We'll figure something out, I promise," Alya told her. "You don't have to get married to the jerk if you don't want to."

"Oh piss off on that," Lila agreed. "Who arranges marriages in this age anyway? It's so out-dated. Marinette should marry who she wants because she's in love."

The Parisian smiled tiredly at her two best friends, the past two days of running and sleeping on airplanes catching up fast on her. "All I want right now is a shower and a bed," she told her friends truthfully.

"And we've got both," Alya announced, opening the car door to climb out. "Come on, I bet Lotte is waiting at the office for us already. If anyone can help us figure something out, it's her and Maui."

"Damn straight," Lila nodded. "There's one thing that bothers me though..."

"What's that?" Alya looked at her packmate.

"Old man Fu. Granted he's always had a knack of knowing when crazy shit will hit the fan... but if Zyah Cheng wants Marinette's name scorched from the exchange roster, how did he know Marinette would be showing up  _today_ despite that?"

* * *

Adrien stared at the map on his wall, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He flipped a new pin over in his hand before sticking it into an area marked 'Airport.' Dozens of other pins littered the whole map, all showing where Akuma activity had been sighted for the last six months. He ran a hand over his jaw in frustration. "I just don't get it," he growled.

"Hawkmoth has always been an elusive adversary," Fu agreed. "It's part of what makes him so dangerous."

"And the girl? What makes her so special that Hawkmoth would send out one of his best kidnappers?"

Fu's hazel eyes met Adrien's emerald ones. "I have my guesses."

"But you won't share them. Typical."

Fu chuckled, "It's for everybody's protection, young Black Cat. Hawkmoth knows of your existence, but not who you are. You need to guard that secret with your life."

Adrien clenched his hand that wore the Black Cat Miraculous. The Fox Miraculous around his neck glowed brilliantly, and both men looked up in time to see Trixx, the fox spirit, appear over a snack tray. "Please, you give the old bug too much credit. It's thanks to my illusion gift that Adrien is never recognized by his enemies."

"Thanks, Trixx," Adrien told her, turning away from the map. With a flip of his fingers, the file on his desk opened to show a familiar Parisian girl with blue eyes. The information was generic; age, background, family members, education... nothing stuck out to the blond as a reason why Hawkmoth would target her. Unless...

"What are you thinking, kit?" Trixx asked, flying over to sit on her chosen's shoulder. "That's the girl? She's cute!"

"Hawkmoth has a nack of picking out powerful supernaturals as initiates to his gang. Marinette mentioned in her report that she's Half-Witch. We also know she's Zyah Cheng's only granddaughter and next in line to become the next high priestess of the Coven of Dragons."

 _"Really?_ How intriguing," Trixx floated down to take a closer look at the photograph.

"How so?" asked Adrien.

"Well, if Zyah Cheng is anything like her mother, blood purity has always been important to that particular coven. This kit came right out and said she's _H_ _alf_ -Witch?"

"Yes."

"Then I wonder what she's mixed with to gain Hawky's attention."

"Fae I would think, at least... that's what her pattern was."

"I'm not so sure," Burnett James rounded the corner and entered Adrien's office. Adrien blinked in surprise to see him impeccably dressed and refreshed. Trixx immediately disappeared from view and Adrien tucked his necklace under his shirt. "Hawkmoth prides himself on pure magick. Whatever Ms. Dupain-Cheng is mixed with, I think it's something that makes her powers more potent than diluted, like most mixed races. Unfortunately, the supernatural law enforcement in France doesn't require their populous to be registered like we do here. So tracking the girl's heritage will be difficult enough."

"Adrien," Fu spoke up, his eyes sharp. "Are you sure that girl's pattern was  _Fae?_ Not Werewolf?"

"Fae? No, she most definitely had a Were pattern when I saw her on the plane."

Adrien's attention whipped back to the Vampire agent in his office. "I'm 100% certain that she wore a Fae pattern. I'd bet my magick on it. Didn't you see it when you were healing her back at the airport?"

"I never got a good look at it," Fu admitted, eyes dropping down to look at his cane. "When supernaturals lose consciousness, their patterns can disappear until they reawaken."

All three men stared at each other and then Burnett let out a groan. "Fuck me... don't tell me she's mixed with a Chameleon."

"A what?" Adrien blinked.

"A Chameleon. They're a new type of supernatural that showed up in Texas a few years back. Kyle Galen, one of the team members that I brought with me, is a Chameleon. She's able to take on the traits of any supernatural and use their powers. So far, Kyle has mastered Fae, Vampire, and Werewolf abilities. She's still getting use to any kind of Witch powers she may suddenly spring up with. Miranda is helping her with that..."

"And these... Chameleons," Fu broke in. "Their patterns can shift?"

"Oh yeah, Kyle's shifts constantly. Especially if she's upset about something."

"While this is all interesting, it's still speculation," Fu interrupted. "How can we know for certain?"

Burnett frowned, shoulders tensing. "I need to talk to Kyle. There's a trait that only Chameleons can do. I don't know if mixed half-breeds will have the same power, but it's worth checking out."

"What's that?" Adrien asked.

"Chameleons, when they feel threatened, embarrassed or scared, can turn themselves invisible. The only way one Chameleon knows if another is out of sight is when they go invisible too. It's complicated, but that's basically the gist of it."

Adrien gaped, "So you're saying, if Marinette is Half-Chameleon, she can just disappear? Then why didn't she back at the airport?"

"That is an excellent question. Now you're thinking like an Agent, Agreste."

"Again, it's all speculation," Fu repeated himself. "While this lead sounds promising, how do we find out for certain? If Chameleons are so new, I doubt they'll come right out to the public and state their species."

"That's 100% accurate," Burnett agreed. "Kyle is one of the few who is open with her Chameleon heritage, despite being Half-Chameleon herself."

"You said the only way to find out about Chameleons is for one to identify the other, right? I wonder if Ms. Galen will be open to helping us with this conundrum?" Fu asked, fingers tapping softly on the handle of his cane.

"Kyle can be stubborn when she wants to be. I'll ask and get her thoughts on it. For now, I think it'll be best if we place Ms. Dupain-Cheng under surveillance."

"I can do that," Adrien instantly volunteered. "Since I already attend Everfree College myself, it's only logical."

"Perfect," Burnett nodded. "I'll have Chase Tallman act as your backup."

Adrien closed the file on his desk with another flip of his fingers and smiled, "No need. I've already got someone in mind,  _Adyeu,_   _Agent Burnett."_  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean no insult due to my ignorance for this, ladies and gents. I used Google Translate to help me hobble along in this story
> 
> ragazza- Italian- 'Girl'
> 
> Zǎo ān, nǎinai- Chinese- Good morning, grandmother
> 
> Chūláile! Chūláile! Chūláile!- Chinese- Out! Out! Out!
> 
> DST- Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire- basically the French equivalent to the FBI (or from what I can find anyway XD)
> 
> Shì- Chinese- Yes
> 
> Grand-mère- French-Grandmother
> 
> mère- French- mother
> 
> père- French- father
> 
> Adyeu- Cajun- Bye/goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out [my FB page](https://www.facebook.com/KestraEchoWolf/) for the latest updates and to get in contact with me! Send me one shot prompt requests via PM! Anything to keep the creative juices flowing ;) 
> 
> I don't always check my Tumblr lol... you can also find me on [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/KestraEchoWolf/)
> 
> Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments below :)


End file.
